The Persona Protocol - By Andy McDermott Page 0,45
they left the room. ‘So, guys – what do you think?’
Levon padded over from his nearby desk. ‘About Dr Childs?’
‘No, brah, about the Fed’s new fund rate. Of course about her, dumbass!’
‘I just think there’s something weird about the whole thing,’ said Holly Jo. ‘All the times they’ve told us that the PERSONA tech has to be kept ultra-secret, even from other parts of STS, no leaks . . . and then they bring in a foreigner out of nowhere?’
‘She’s supposed to be some old student of Roger’s,’ said Levon.
‘Supposed to be? Or actually is and you hacked into her file to see for yourself, and are just saying “supposed to be” to cover your butt?’
Levon put up his hands in a protestation of innocence. ‘She’s supposed to be, that’s all I’m saying.’
Kyle leaned closer. ‘Next time you hack in, can you look at my personnel assessment and see if I’m up for a raise?’
The hands went up again. ‘I ain’t doin’ nothing!’
‘So what do you think?’ Holly Jo asked Kyle.
He stroked his chin. ‘Well . . . I wouldn’t kick her out of bed.’
‘Oh, for God’s sake,’ she sighed.
‘What? I wouldn’t! Sure, she dresses kinda frumpy, and her hair’s a mess, but you know what they say – it’s the quiet ones who get wildest in bed. She’s got a sort of sexy librarian thing going on. And, y’know, chicks with English accents – always kind of hot.’
Levon shook his head. ‘Man, one of these days you are going to come into work and find a sixteen-page sexual harassment lawsuit on your desk.’
‘Only sixteen?’ said Holly Jo. Kyle made a dismissive pffft! noise. ‘But seriously, you guys – what happens if Roger doesn’t come back for six months? Or ever? Is there even still a project without him? Would we all lose our jobs?’
Levon looked round as Adam emerged from the Cube. ‘I don’t think it’s Roger’s health we should be worrying about. If there’s one person the project depends on . . .’
Kyle shook his head. ‘Adam can take care of himself. Come on, he took out a bunch of terrorists single-handed and jumped off a friggin’ building, and there was hardly a scratch on him. That’s some Jason Bourne shit, right there. Dude’s a badass!’
‘I don’t think Levon meant Adam’s physical health,’ Holly Jo said as the trio watched the blank-faced man cross the room.
13
Chasing the Tail
Bianca spent the afternoon learning more about how the Persona Project – and Adam – operated. Some of what she discovered shocked her: not least that Adam was, technically, a cyborg. With a two-way radio implanted inside one ear, powered by a kinetic battery beneath the skin at the base of his spine that used his body’s own movements to recharge itself, he certainly fitted the dictionary definition.
However, whatever startling revelations there were about Adam Gray the agent, she still had no handle on Adam Gray the man. He remained as opaque as the first moment they’d met. His answers to all of her questions were precise, factual . . . and devoid of anything resembling an emotive viewpoint.
After a few hours, her attention began to slip. ‘Okay, I think we should take a break,’ said Tony. ‘You look like you need some coffee.’
She shook her head. ‘Oh God, no. If I have too much caffeine in the afternoon, I can never get to sleep.’
‘Something else, then. We’ve got a selection in the break room. Even tea – maybe that’ll help you feel more at home?’
‘You know, not all Brits are obsessed with tea,’ she mock-chided. ‘Just like we don’t all talk like Dick Van Dyke and have bad teeth.’
Tony was caught off guard. ‘Sorry, I didn’t mean . . .’
She let him off the hook. ‘But I like tea.’
‘Great. We’ll pick up in twenty minutes, then.’
They left the briefing room. Bianca followed Tony, but Adam went to the Bullpen. Bianca glanced back as he entered. Was he going to talk to one of the analysts, or . . .
‘I’ll catch up,’ she told Tony as they passed one of the bathrooms. He nodded and continued on his way. She went into the ladies’ room, waited until she was sure he would be out of sight, then returned to the door of the Bullpen.
Her card opened it. She went inside. No sign of Adam. The nearest person she knew by name was Holly Jo. ‘Hi. I’m looking for Adam – did he just come in here?’